Saturday, June 09, 2018

NEARLY 50 children per week had a tooth removed in hospital in the South West due to preventable decay, figures show.

Data published by Public Health England (PHE) reveals that 2,558 children in the region, seven children per day, were admitted to hospital for tooth extraction with cavities or decay recorded as the primary diagnosis in 2016/17.

In Dorset, 114 children had a tooth removed in hospital due to decay in the same year. The highest number was recorded in West Dorset at 29 children, and second highest in Weymouth and Portland at 23 children.

In January, the Dorset Echo reported that the county is above both the national and regional average for the number of children aged under five with dental problems.

Data is taken from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) which record inpatient and day-case care in NHS hospitals in England. PHE has warned that some numbers could be underestimated, as some extractions are carried out by a local dental service in hospital, but not logged in official hospital data recordings.

As the government’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy comes into effect, PHE’s Change4Life campaign is reminding parents that sugary drinks, including juice drinks, energy drinks, cola and other fizzy drinks, are one of the main sources of sugar in children’s diets.

Nationally, a child in England has a tooth removed in hospital every 10 minutes due to preventable tooth decay, PHE says.

Jane Horne, consultant in public health at Public Health Dorset, said: "In Dorset we have seen a fall in the numbers of children admitted to have a tooth removed since five years ago, but there are still more than a hundred children admitted for this every year.

"We also look at how many five year old children are free from tooth decay; although we are similar to the rate for England, this still means that a significant proportion, around 25 per cent of children, do experience some decay.

"A number of schemes, for example providing toothbrushes and toothpastes or supervising tooth brushing, run in different parts of Dorset. As a parent you can help by making sure your children eat and drink less sugary food and drinks, and brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste."

PHE’s Change4Life campaign is encouraging parents to:

Swap sugary drinks for lower or no sugar alternatives, including water and lower fat milks

Limit fruit juice and smoothies to a total of 150ml per day and only consume with meals

Ensure children brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste (once before bedtime and once during the day) and remind them to ‘spit not rinse’

Stop giving your children sweets. You are not spoiling them you are harming them. It can be done I stopped my own family from giving my son sweets and at 45 he still has all of his own with one minor filling.